Report from The Family Office Super Summit

Before the holidays, I attended the Family Office Super Summit, and it was great to get some sunshine in Florida and meet so many innovative and passionate philanthropists. I had great conversations with people who want to change the world for good. The Family Office Club sponsors numerous events across the US, and they are an incredible resource.  I loved hanging out with the Founders of the National Rugby Football League (if you were there, they were the guys running around with a Rugby ball the entire conference). We sat in on some incredible panels with important topics like Women Investors, and one panel shared how your organization can make or save $1M with key strategies. The conference offered incredible insights, in an energized environment of action-focused people who are doing great things.  When I shared the Return on Good Mission, it was a hit. It’s clear that family officer leaders are interested in giving smarter, and also in sharing their impact stories in a more meaningful way. I also heard from the causes that came to the event that they want to talk about their real impact, not just shake hands and hope for gifts.   I was asked plenty of questions, and here are the top 5:  

 
• Can you help us set up our foundation and make a giving plan? Launching a family foundation, including a giving plan that the family agrees upon to meet multiple missions, takes a lot of work. Defining your values and stating the impact you want to have is a crucial step in taking your philanthropy to the next level.
 
• Can I get help to start an endowment? High wealth givers asked for help in setting endowments to facilitate business and family giving, and this crucial long term sustainability vehicle is growing in value.
 
• Can you help us tell our giving story? Family offices often struggle to share the value of the good that they are doing. That’s okay, because you are givers, not marketers, so we suggest getting help to share your story with joy and meaning.
 
• Can you help us fundraise better? Charities want to share their impact with the world and encourage results-driven investment by donors. We agree that it’s time to go past platitudes and share your purpose and impact in a better way. Fundraising has changed, and an investment focus is crucial.
 
• Can we get actually get more ‘return on good’? We got great feedback on our mission. We heard that people love the idea of combining real impact focus with the core values that drive your giving. That takes research, asking tough questions, and time spent making a plan for your giving.

In short, the the answer to all five of these questions, from us is: Yes. We’re ready to help you give smarter. And if you’re a charity, we’re ready to help you engage donors with real impact.  Return on Good is the first collaborative with a three-part focus: your values, the demonstrated impact for giving, and the missions of crucial causes. We help family offices, individuals, corporations, and foundations to Give Smarter through: strategy and structure, giving plans, facilitated giving, and telling your giving story. Contact us today to learn more about how Return on Good can help.